THE INCREDIBLE HULK - In my comic book reading days I loved the Hulk. But I was also a big fan of the television show (Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, etc.) I didn't mind so much the Hulk 2003 release (directed by Ang Lee), but I wished there had been more "hulk smash," and less "hulk sad, and confused." So here we have the 2008 version of The Incredible Hulk. After a military experiment gone bad Bruce Banner is on the run from the military and himself. As Banner's adrenaline gets pumping he becomes the Hulk and the rest is history. I will fully admit there isn't really a script here to be concerned with. We just want to see the Hulk smash, and the Hulk does indeed smash in all his greatness. This is a fun movie. This isn't great cinema, and in many respects it's not as good as Iron Man. But again, it's hard to compare the two. The characters are just so different. Lastly, the very last scene really does a great job of setting up a future Hulk movie in an unusual way.
MICHAEL CLAYTON - Finally got around to seeing this one, and I thought it was worth the wait. George Clooney plays Michael Clayton, an employee of a law firm that is paid to clean up messes and make problems go away. The script here is greatness, and some of the dialouge exchanges here make the movie all by themselves (especially between Clooney and Tom Wilkinson). Forget the Ocean's Eleven kind-of roles, this is the kind of role I like to see Clooney in. The deeply flawed character on-the-run. This is a great movie. Definately worthy of all the academy nominations it received earlier this year.
GET SMART - I'm a Steve Carell fan, but his last few movie roles have left me shaking my head. However, he's a perfect fit in GET SMART. In this new tricked-out version of the classic 60's series, Carell plays the Don Adams role and does it very well. There's nothing special here. This isn't the greatest comedy you've ever seen. But there's enough laughs here to keep you interested and entertained. I would say this would be a better rental than a trip to the theater, but either way I doubt you'll be disappointed.
PRINCE CASPIAN - Just like IRON MAN might be the biggest surprise of the summer for me, PRINCE CASPIAN might be the biggest disappointment. I was really looking forward to this one. After seeing how they treated the first installment (LION, WITCH, and the WARDROBE) I was very happy with the direction the series was headed in. But after watching this second installment I'm all of the sudden concerned. What should of been more of the enchanting and magical world of Narnia turned into a 2 hour non-stop battle. The director completely abandoned all the charm and magic of the first one, ignored the central theme of the book, and instead gave us an endless display of warfare and carnage. By the time the closing credits came up I was greatly disappointed and Jenny was asleep. With VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER already slated for release in the future I question the success of the franchise. I've heard a new director will be at the healm for the 3rd installment. A new set of eyes is exactly what this franchise needs at this point.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 3 - This is season 3 of the on-going sci-fi series on the Sci-Fi channel. It's a re-imagining of the classic television series from the 70's. Just like in seasons 1 and 2, season 3 gives us more of the same conflicts between the humans and the cylons. More of the continuing story of a race of people trying to find earth before the cylons wipe them out.
At times this series is the best on television. At other times it's so bad it's almost unwatchable. I constantly ask myself how can a show be so good at one point, and so bad at another? But somehow I've gotten sucked into watching this thing. Season 4 will be the series finale, so I'll just wait until it comes out on DVD and finish this thing. I've gotten this far...might as well see how it all ends.
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